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While I’ve been expanding my industry influence expertise, I’ve been reading Willpower Doesn’t Work, a great book by Benjamin Hardy about how our environment shapes our successes (or failures). White-knuckling our way through tough situations, he writes, is a fad, a fallacy—something that leads to little more than, well, white knuckles.

We need to create and control our own stories.

So what do we do instead? Well, as I’ve read, we need to create and control our own situations instead of using grit to get through our current cultural addictions. Technology is moving so fast, we can barely adapt. We’re under constant stress and sleep deprivation, putting us in survival mode. As Hardy writes: “Most people are casualties of these rapid environmental changes. Unequipped to properly govern themselves in a new world with new rules, many of them succumb to various addictions—primarily to technology, but also to stimulants such as caffeine, fast-absorbing foods containing high amounts of carbohydrates and sugar, and work.”

Explore your technology usage: is it healthy and productive or toxic?

Hey, I’ve definitely succumbed to these things, but I never really thought of them as addictions. Addictions are alcohol, drugs, gambling, right? Nope, it can be anything that gets us to keep pushing that trigger to get us through the day in some zombie-like way. Technology can be a good thing—we’re all using it right now, and it’s created millions of marvels and saved millions of lives—but let’s face it, if you’re scrolling through Instagram posts of old girlfriends or Googling how to melt butter instead of writing a blog, you’re addicted to technology.

Why you really should skip that second chocolate chip cookie.

If I have that temptation, I put in an action that counteracts it like a positive action, like doing some push-ups or drinking a glass of water. But the long-term approach I’ve started using, thanks to Willpower Doesn’t Work, is to focus on my “why” power. To step back for a moment, when you think about willpower, it goes along the lies of, “Hey, I’m not supposed to eat that second chocolate chip cookie because I’m trying to lose weight.” So you use your willpower to say, “I’m just going to resist it.” But over time, that willpower isn’t strong enough. Instead, you can develop a “why” power, going a bit deeper. You want to skip the cookie because your family has a history of heart disease and you want to be healthy and avoid certain medications and be there for your kids. You want to lose weight because you want to look weight for a speaking engagement.

This can apply to any situation. I love Dr. Pepper, but I don’t drink it—or maybe once or twice a year at most. Because I know that sugar will lead to tooth decay, and I’m a dentist. I can’t be a hypocrite. So I focus on my “why” power. And this can apply to almost any situation: binge-watching Netflix, being on auto-pilot for another trip to the Starbucks drive-through, purposely scheduling back to back meetings. We can all take some time to channel our “why” power instead of channel-surfing through life on willpower.

Are you ready to find your “why” power and become an industry influencer?

People become influencers through sheer willpower. It takes “why” power and consistency. If you’re ready to step into your why power and make your greatest impact, please take advantage of the plan I’ve prepared for you to truly make an impact—the Industry Influencer Masterclass.